Green Tip for Freelance Writers #2: Create a Paperless Office. I’ve been doing this for years – without giving a thought to being green. In 2001, I moved my office into my home.

Living in New York City at the time in a one bedroom, there was, of course, a space problem. So, I decided to go paperless which meant no file cabinet.

I scanned all applicable documents and starting storing them as electronic files. And, where possible, I used email instead of fax. I was surprised at how easy it was to “go paperless.”

Green Tip for Freelance Writers #3: Plan Trips. Again, as I work at home, I plan my trips carefully to save on gas. One thing I do is try to schedule all of my running around during the middle of the day. There’s less traffic, so I use less gas.

I also make sure to bunch my destinations, eg, hit the grocery story which goes right pass the beauty supply store, which is right around the corner for the $1 store, etc.

The final thing I do with regard to planning trips is to stay home more. As I don’t have to go out to lunch or run errands for work, I try to move my car as little as necessary. Usually, during the week, it only leaves my driveway once or twice.

Green Tip for Freelance Writers #4: Unplug. I heard Carter Osterhouse, one of HGTVs stars say that appliances use as much as 40% of their energy when they are turned off, but still plugged in.

So, at night when I log off, I also unplug my equipment. Yeah, it’s a bit of a pain to plug everything back in in the morning, but considering that it’s probably less than a minute of my day, it’d be selfish of me to not do it.

Carter went on to say that all appliances around the house should be unplugged when not in use, eg, the coffee pot, the curling iron, the toaster, microwave, etc. 

Green Tip for Freelance Writers #5: Use Recycled Paper. When you do use paper in your office, buy recycled paper. Look for paper that has the highest recycled content as possible. FYI, by federal standards, for a product to carry the recycled logo, it must be at least 30% pre-consumer content.

To make sure you’ll always have recycled paper on hand, order it in bulk from online suppliers, or buy it in bulk from your local retailer. The point is to be sure to always have some in stock so you won’t be tempted to use non-recycled paper.

Using Recycled Paper: The Effects on the Environment

Ninety percent of paper pulp is made from wood. The production of paper accounts for over a third of felled trees in the world.

Did you know? Some experts estimate that recycling one ton of newspaper saves about 4,000 KWh of electricity. This is enough electricity to power a 3-bedroom European house for an entire year, or enough energy to heat and air-condition the average North American home for almost six months. [Source: Wikipedia.com]

Green Tip for Freelance Writers #6: Use Cloth, Flatware and Dishes. Usually, when you work outside the home and run out for a sandwich, you’re going to get paper napkins, plastic forks and paper plates.

But, if you work at home use your nice dishes, real silverware and cloth napkin. Not only will you be helping the environment by contributing less waste, you’ll be doing something nice for yourself too!

Green Tip for Freelance Writers #7: Wash Less; Hang Dry. As you’re at home and are changing clothes less (ostensibly), wash less. Don’t forget to use cold water as much as possible. You can structure your days to do laundry once a week, instead of two or three times.

And, if you live in an environment that allows it, hang clothes on a line to dry instead of using the dryer. I vividly remember as a child growing up doing this with my mother. Nothing smells better than fresh clothes coming off the clothesline after having been dried by the sun.

Going Green Adds Up

There are many more tips that can be added to the list. These are just a few off the top of my head. While these may seem like little things that don’t do much, they do add up.

Imagine if we all practiced these. We’d be doing Mother Earth a huge favor. Green tips for freelance writers are easy to implement – and you can feel good about doing your part to help the environment.